Work From Home
by Goldielochs
Summary: Based on the Webtoon comic by Rachel Smythe: Lore Olympus. The author of that story drew extra sketches of an alternative universe where Hades spoke his truth in the kitchen in her Chapter 8. I became obsessed with the idea and my mind RAN WITH IT.
1. Part 1

**Work From Home**

Part 1

NSFW

* * *

 _Based off sketches Rachel did of an alternative Universe where Hades is straight up with Persephone from Chapter 8 and I have NOT been able to let the thought GO._

* * *

Hades began unbuttoning the top of his shirt. "Look, we can do this in the kitchen if you want, but I have to warn you. . . there are no blinds in here and my neighbors are super nosy."

Persephone turned her head to look at him. "Why would they mind you helping me with my hair?"

Hades tapped his fingers together. "I thought you wanted sex." He admitted out the side of his mouth.

Persephone froze. Then turned on her heels to face him a grin on her face, which he then reflected.

Persephone's heart raced. Could it be this easy? Finally the feeling in her chest seemed to make sense. The word on his lips- sex-sent a shiver down her spine. A password to unlock a forbidden entrance. The not so subtle connotation-that he wanted her. It had been a misunderstanding. But now- s-e-x -an option that wasn't there before lingered in the space between them. Like Pandora's box, now that it was out in the open, Persephone couldn't shut the lid. This felt right. No. This felt good. She imagined his large hands on her body and bit her lip, needing it realized more than she needed oxygen. She wondered what it would feel like, her inner cavern being explored, and she didn't want to just wonder anymore.

She dropped the coat to the floor. "Oops." Persephone winked, throwing her hip to her side. She hid her hands behind her back, not wanting him to see her tremble. It wasn't because of the cold air this time.

Hades gulped. He loosened his collar once more, feeling the sweat on the back of his neck. Could it be this easy? Was this all in his head? Was this a trick? No. She grinned up at him and winked. Not a "Gotcha" wink. . . he know those well enough. This was a "come and get it" wink. With her not-so-subtle invitation, he advanced towards her slowly. In what he hoped were sultry movements. Could she tell how completely bewitched he was? Her body curved like a long drive in the dark, taking his thoughts ransom and carrying them away from himself. So close, he was almost touching her now. Almost. That space between them seared with desire. He bent down to pick the coat up. His nose trailed down her bare leg as he did so. Her fingers combed through his hair. In response his eyes rolled back involuntarily. How had she already found his weakness? They hadn't even started. On his way up, he lifted her into his arm. She held onto his shoulders for support. Gently, he set her on the counter. Persephone wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Her hands traveled up his body, and a thrill ran down her spine. As she began to unbutton the rest of his shirt, her fingers trembled. Finally she rested them on his chest and bit her lip. This was happening. This was really happening. She gazed up at him and smiled, "I'm Persephone, by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Persephone." Hades said between shallow breaths. "I'm Hades."

* * *

*Five Hours Later*

* * *

Persephone stared up at a crystal ceiling. A goofy smile pushed her cheeks up. Holy freaking Mother Gaia. Her body hummed with satisfaction. A warmth lit her up from inside, radiating under her skin. She relaxed into the much needed rest. Tired muscles melted into the bed sheets. She flexed her toes out, getting used to this aching body. She thought that afterwards, she would feel different-that she would feel not like herself-that she would be a stranger to her skin. Sinking further into the pillow behind her back, the sloppy grin still twisting the corners of her mouth, she didn't expect to feel this damn good.

There were no doubts with Hades. There were no voices in the back of her head, pressing an invisible finger to her. Nothing and no one held her back. It was just her and Hades wrapped up in tangles worse than the ones in her hair. Their limbs entwined, their naked bodies on each other. Heat and pleasure passed between them. What started out as a sprint, turned into something deeper. What started as a spark, set the whole forest on fire.

She was completely vulnerable to him and he to her. Exposing not only their bodies but their souls to each other. They were still practically strangers, but they've already seen more in each other than they've let anybody else in their lives look.

Was that normal? Persephone wondered, catching a fragment of her reflection in the crystals up above.

Exhaustion fogged up her head. How long had it been? She tried to gage the hour by the light outside the window, before she remembered the sun couldn't pass between the horizons in this realm. The view outside the window was the same as before. As if time stood still and she hoped it could. If she could soak up this moment for all its worth before the clock started ticking, she would pay whatever the price may be. The last. . . however long it was, felt like a dream, but her aching muscles proved otherwise.

In her reflection, she saw the girl on the ceiling smile a hundred little grins. A joy that she hadn't known before, cascading back to her. A carefree happiness etched there that had been evading her. Hades snored softly beside her. Carefully, she reached out to him and gently caressed his arm. He squeaked out a moan into his pillow.

Content, she burrowed further under the sheets. Finally letting the drowsiness close her eyes.

Hades rolled into his pillow, squeezing it tight as he awoke gently from his nap. He nearly cursed under his breath; He had been having the most amazing dream. It wasn't often he had pleasant dreams. The nightmare was always waking up from them.

Bleary eyed he reached behind him for his glasses on the nightstand, instead he felt the soft fur of the coat. The fur coat with diamond buttons. The fur coat with diamond buttons that he gave to Persephone. The fur coat with diamond buttons that he gave to Persephone and then helped her out of. The fur coat with diamond buttons that that she wore with nothing else underneath. The fur coat with diamond buttons she wore while she took his dick like she owned it.

It wasn't a dream.

He sat up, wide eyed and out of breath. Slowly, as if fearing for what he may or may not find, he looked up at his ceiling first. Pink painted across the crystal shards, interrupting the dark blues and grays. Like an artist dipped into the can of paint and sprinkled in the pop that made the artwork sing. He grinned like a fool.

Smushing his pillow down, he turned over to look at her. He died all over again. How did anyone have the right to look so beautiful while they were asleep? An angelic face, content in sleep. Content in his bed. Naked with nothing to hide. Asleep with no worries or mistrust. He didn't deserve to have such a creature laying next to him. But he liked it.

He really liked it.

He fought off the urge to skootch closer. To wrap her in a gentle embrace and spoon her, her body curving to his curves. No. He couldn't risk waking her up, for to wake up a sleeping angel would be a crime he could never forgive himself of.

He didn't want to pry his eyes away from her, worried that if he blinked, she would be gone and this would be nothing more than a dream again.

Wanting to make sure he saw her with the best vision possible, he reached back again for his glasses. Only 10% realizing how teetering on creepy he was being.

Passed the coat, he felt his phone. It vibrated in his hand. He looked down briefly. 8 missed calls. Three from Minthe, the rest from his brother, and a slew of texts and emails from possibly everyone that had a complaint on the weekend. Which could be a long list.

He looked back at Persephone, mostly to make sure she was still there. Then back to his phone again. He tapped it to his head, trying to figure out what to do. His eyes kept darting to Persephone. She sighed softly in her sleep and it melted his heart.

A decision made- his finger pressed the home button for five seconds until his phone powered down. He tossed it to the side in reckless abandonment. Reality be damned, this moment wouldn't be thwarted by those outside of it. He made time stand still once; He could do it again.

* * *

Persephone sighed softly, the memory of his touch squeezing it out of her. She caught him looking at her again and decided it was time to unfurl herself. Yawning, she stretched her whole body. From her toes to her finger tips that nearly touched the headboard, Persephone arched her back, exposing her breasts out of the confines of the sheet.

"Hi." He breathed. A blush rose to his cheeks. He stroked her hair back away from her face. "How did you sleep?"

"Like the dead." Persephone hummed. Even now, every touch, even an innocent one, sent a sort of short circuit through her system. She slid an eye over. "I guess that doesn't really mean the same thing here as it does back home."

"No, not really." Hades chuckled. "The dead don't sleep well at all here. They're very restless."

"Oh, well." Persephone started to slowly inch her way closer towards him. "I slept great. Are these egyptian?" She twiddled her fingers around the bed sheet.

"1000 count egyptian cotton." Hades raised his eyebrows. He too began to angle a limb closer, then another limb, then another, slowly traversing the gap between them.

"It's nice." Persephone murmured. She grabbed his top arm and swung it around herself, turning over.

"You think so?" He cradled his body around hers.

"Yeah, I-" She hesitated and then nuzzled her head into his arm. A question had been burning inside of her for some time now, and now that the rest of her had cooled down she could finally address it. "Can I ask you something?"

He pushed his chest closer to her bare back. Her entire body fit neatly there. Kissing the top of her head, he inhaled her scent: Cherry blossoms and honey suckle. "Of course." He finally answered.

"What's this?" Persephone swiped something off the end table on her side and held it up.

Hades blinked a few times, refocusing his eyes. In her hands, Persephone held the small sticky note from Aphrodite.

He groaned and squeezed Persephone into him before letting her loose. All things must come to and end at some point. This would be the point where she left.

"That was the note I found on your thigh when I got home last night." Hades explained.

Persephone flipped it over in her hand. A large heart and on the other side in lipstick spelled out "Bon Appétit."

"I don't understand." Persephone shifted, breaking out of their cuddle to face him. "Why would Eros do this?"

Hades leaned back on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm terribly sorry. It's my fault. This- you- I believe it was intended to teach me a lesson or a poor excuse of a prank.I said something I shouldn't have at the party last night."

"Oh?" Persephone propped herself up with her left hand, and with her other she twirled her finger on his stomach. "Color me intrigued. What did you say?" Goosebumps rose on his skin as she traced flower patterns across his abdomen.

"I saw you. I saw you at the party." He remembered, slightly ashamed. "I think you had just spilled your drink. And you completely caught me off guard. There was something in your face that had me mesmerized. Still do." He admitted sheepishly.

Persephone tilted her head. She didn't see him. "Why didn't you come talk to me?"

"Well, I tried." He paused and then looked down at her hand. "That feels nice, by the way."

Her fingers twirled lower, following the lines of his v and then back up the other side.

Hades cleared his throat, trying to concentrate. "This may come as a surprise, but I don't normally approach girls at parties. I don't normally go to parties in general. But I desperately wanted to talk to you. I wanted to hear your voice. To look into your eyes." He sunk into his pillow. "I-I just wanted to talk."

Her hand stopped and rested by his side. "Why would Eros take offense at that?" Persephone still didn't understand.

"N-no- don't stop." Hades pleaded.

"Okay-okay." Persephone responded, raising her hand in the air. "Keep talking."

"Deal." Hades breathed. "I said that you were the most attractive woman I'd ever seen." Blushing, her hands dipped under the sheets, circling lower on his body. "And, I mayhavesaidthatyouputAphroditetoshame." He said quickly.

"What?" She asked.

"I said." Hades took a deep breath. "I said you put Aphrodite to shame."

"You compared me to Aphrodite?" Persephone moved closer, using his shoulder to support her weight. "That was really stupid." She reprimanded him in a serious tone, but a smile wiggled out from the corner of her lips. Her hands massaged closer and closer to the place that ached for her touch.

"It was." Hades agreed. "But it's true." He caught her eye, and she blinked, taken aback. "I can't say that it was just a joke. Or an exaggeration. It's true."

She cleared her head, her mind set. "And what exactly was the lesson she was trying to teach you?" Finally, after teasing him, her fingers found the base of his already half erection.

He dragged in a shaky breath, trying to keep himself in check. Her soft fingers sent ripples of sensation through him. She didn't even have to lift her finger. "That I shouldn't-" He swallowed hard as she began to grip his shaft. "That I shouldn't." He paused again as she pulled him into her grip and rubbed him back down. As his silence continued, she stopped and waited for him to finish his thought.

He frowned. "I think she thought you would be disgusted by me and that I would lose interest."

"Oh?" Slowly her whole body moved underneath the sheets. Her lips dragged along his side and her hair swept up the trail. "And have you lost interest?" She murmured into his skin.

Hades nearly fainted. "S-s-s-she was trying to teach me that I shouldn't say such things." Persephone pulled up over him, the bedsheet laying across her head. His erection twitched in her direction, feeling the warmth of her breath.

"And did you learn your lesson?"

"No." Hades breathed.

She grinned in response and then her tongue swirled around his head. Saliva dribbled down his throbbing veins. Her lips kissed him up, then she pressed her lips together and pushed his cock between them, opening her mouth to him and taking him whole.

Hades eyes rolled back and he groaned involuntarily.

Persephone would have enjoyed his reaction, but she she gagged around his girth. His full arousal was easily the the length of her own head and just about as thick as her arm.

"Easy baby." Hades cupped his hand around her jaw as she pulled back.

She blushed, realizing she had bitten off more than she could chew, so to speak. It would take some creativity to accomplish this task she set for herself. Two pink hands came to her aid and pumped his base while her mouth worked on his crown, dripping down saliva every now and then to lubricate him up. He tasted like bitter sap. The sweetness came from his involuntary huffs of exultation. When her lips needed a break, her tongue would slide down him the trail of his veins. Like a map, she studied his geography.

Proudly, Persephone sucked him off between her lips. Every now and then she'd look up to see the absolute control she had over him. He was putty in her soft hands and moist lips. This was power; his dick between her teeth. Every sensation and every pleasure he felt, she created. His moans where hers. She was responsible for the king laying vulnerable beneath her. Between her lips she had the power to destroy and the power to kill in another way. She had the King of the Underworld between her teeth and she felt powerful.

"Could you do me a favor?" Persephone angled her face up. A string of saliva still attached her to him.

"Anything." Hades breathed. He moved his hand from her breast to her face, wiping away the stray hairs that had gotten stuck to her cheek.

"Can you hold my hair back?" She asked. "It's just, it's hard to - It's really heavy and sticky."

Hades thought that after telling her about Aphrodite she would have gotten mad. She would have demanded to go home. He didn't expect this. She didn't forgive him, because she found nothing to forgive him for. Instead, she was . . . rewarding him. He didn't deserve this. But he liked it.

He really liked it.

"Of course." Hades pushed himself up, leaning his back against the headboard. She got on all fours and crouched down on him between his legs. Her thicc ass pushed back high into the air. He combed through her long hair, brushing it to one side. He held her hair in one hand while his other gathered the stray lochs.

She dipped back onto his cock. As she did so, her hair tightened and slackened in his grasp. "Mmm." She hummed. "That's better."

"Can I ask a question?" Hades combed her hair back again, threading his fingers through her tresses.

"Is it," She said between licking up his shaft. "About." She wrapped her lips around him and swirled back up. "My hair?" She took a breath then pounced on him again.

"Uhuh." Hades moaned.

Persephone sighed with his cock in her mouth. Her sounds echoed through him and Hades felt her sigh escape out of him. Her lips pressed firmly around his member and sucked him up, then she released at his head. A string of saliva broke as she rested her cheek on the side of his hip. Her hands continued to pump him, while her mouth took a rest.

"I'm not really good at controlling my powers just yet. I've been in a funk." She took in a deep breath, liking the musk of his skin here. She breathed warm air on his shaft and kissed him gently where her hands left gaps. "But, I had a nightmare last night. A stressful one."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hades looked at her with concern. "I know being in a strange place-"

"S'okay. It's nothing new. I've been getting nightmares pretty often now." She rolled over to his other hip. Her tongue reached out and stroked his balls.

Hades tried to keep focus while she fondled with his family jewels. "M-me too." He sympathized, gripping the sheets tightly. "I normally wake up around 2am and can't fall back asleep so I just get up."

"That's rough." Persephone said with her lips whispering lightly against the wrinkled skin. "Do you know if there's a pattern to them?"

"Persephone," Hades leaned back. "I'd rather not think about my nightmares right now. I already have enough issues as it is."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Just. . . don't stop."

Persephone nodded. "Yes, sir." She winked and reunited with his cock, warming it back up again in her mouth. She felt a tension in his skin and he gently thrusted closer to her. He grew stiffer underneath her fingers. They found a rhythm. Pulling, thrusting, lifting, sucking. She could feel him building up.

Desperately, his hands let go of her hair, but then combed her hair back away from her face, gripping her, guiding her onto him. His breath came out in short gasps. She could feel his groin start to tense up. He opened his lips, to try to warn her, but his voice was gone, his strength pooled for a release that was quickly coming. She fastened to his cock even harder, sealing herself to him. She moaned encouragingly around him. Her raspy murmurs sent him over the edge and pleasure rocketed through him like fireworks.

Hades tried to push her back, to spare her. Instead she deflected his warning hand away, while she caught his ejaculation in her mouth. She swallowed it back satisfactorily. Grinning at her achievement, she then licked up the remaining pearlescent liquid sliding down his shaft like a melting popsicle. She withdrew her hands from his groin gently and then licked off the remaining juices that had dripped down on them like a kitten.

Suddenly, Hades lips crashed on hers. His arms pulled her up to the top of the bed. Her lips were a dark pink and swollen and he dipped into them passionately, tasting himself on her tongue. "You." Her whispered. "Are." Another kiss. "Incredible." Hades picked Persephone up by her bottom and set her down on her back. Swinging open her legs, he slithered in between them and dipped his head between her thighs. Her wetness pooled for him, ready for him to lick up. His eyes rolled back as he suffocated himself onto her. She tasted like a sweet melon and he wanted nothing more than to clean her plate.

Her stomach rumbled loud enough to be heard over her moaning and whimpers.

"Oh. I'm sorry." Hades blushed. "It's been hours. You must be starving." He could have been satisfied just with her pussy, but after so much sex all day, he had to admit to himself, he was famished.

Persephone threw a pillow on her head. "Ah, how embarrassing." What a mood killer.

"No. No. It's I who should be embarrassed." He removed the pillow, not wanting to ever be obstructed from seeing her face. "You're a guest in my house and I haven't been taking care of you. Shame on me. I'm sorry." He sat on his knees. "We should get some food." He stared at the edge of the bed, knowing that there was an invisible circle around it. As soon as he crossed the line, the magic would be lost and reality would start to leak into their space and leech under the covers.

A pink hand caught his. He turned to look at her, seeing the same realization in her eyes. The same fear that this would fall away like sand between their fingers as soon as they got up. "Don't go." She pleaded. "I-I don't really want to move."

"How about. . . I. . . order in?" He asked hopefully.

Persephone beamed up at him and threw herself into his arms.

Thirty minutes later they were eating pizza on top of his covers. Cerberus sniffed at the air and then stretched across the end of the bed. He let himself in after scaring the pizza delivery driver half to death.

Persephone put on one of Hades' shirt, loosely buttoned with a pair of his black socks crumpled around her ankles. He slipped on a pair of boxers and a short terry cloth robe.

He'd never eaten in bed before. It went against everything he knew of himself. Yet, Persephone's giggles by his side, the way she knocked her feet into his and laughed with a full bite of pizza crust in her mouth, it all made him realize he had been living the wrong way. This was life. Living in the realm of the dead had made him lose sight of it. Made him forget the warmth, the laughter, the joy of life. She brought it back to him. In a dark dim world, where the dead were restless, Persephone showed him the light of life. It hadn't even been a full day yet, but Hades was ready to hand her the world.

They talked of everything. Their conversation easy between them as if they'd known each other for hundreds of years, yet new enough to be curious of every aspect of their life. There was only one topic they each avoided like the plague: What they needed to do tomorrow.

Hades tossed the empty pizza box to the floor. Cerberus perked up and launched himself towards it. He sniffed the box, checking to see if there were any pieces left. Grumpily, Cerberus returned to his corner.

"You know." Hades watched his magic dog drift back to sleep. "He never sleeps around strangers. He never sits on the bed with them either."

Persephone crawled over to Cerberus. "That's because we're not strangers." Persephone rubbed Cerberus's belly. "He's my good boy. Isn't that right."

Cerberus rolled his tongue out.

"What about me?" Hades raised his eyebrows ruefully. "What am I?"

"You're my good boy, too." She also rubbed his belly playfully.

He barked out a laugh. His knees hiked up. "Hey, that tickles."

"Oh? Does it now?" A wicked grin spread across her face. Her fingers turned into tickle claws and she attacked.

Hades laughed until tears sprouted from his eyes. He twisted out of her grasp then launched himself over her. She turned to shield himself from his own tickle fingers, but it was too late. She screamed a peel of laughter as he stroked the back of her knee and then fondled the space to the side of her breast, reaching in under his shirt that wrapped around her. She tried to block him with her butt in the air. It was a valiant effort that swerved him off course.

He gripped her love handles to steady himself. His heart rate slowed down as he breathed, comprehending their current positioning. She was bent over, on her knees, her bare ass leaning against his thighs as he kneeled behind her. She realized it too and looked back at him hungrily. In anticipation, she clutched a pillow underneath her and dug her face into it, muffling out a mewling whimper. Experimentally, he thrusted his hips on her ass and she wiggled down, enjoying the pressure. Wanting more. Never satisfied. Hades slipped his cock out of his boxes and dragged it between her butt cheeks.

"Here we go again." Hades smiled to himself.

* * *

"So." Hades panted. Staring up at the crystal ceiling. "It's getting late."

"Oh?" Persephone was still disoriented with the time.

He rolled over and nuzzled his face on her chest. "I-I can take you home if you want."

"Oh." Persephone nodded. She too had to catch her breath. The room was full of sex and it was nearly suffocating. She kissed his disheveled hair, trying to remember his scent in case she never saw him again.

"But it is late." Hades continued. "And. . . if you wanted to stay. . ."

"Yes. It is late." Persephone nodded slowly.

"I don't want to make you feel like you can't leave. If you want to go, just say the word."

Persephone remained quiet.

"I don't want to keep you from anything." Hades frowned. "I'm sure you have your own life to get back to."

Her heart sank. Her own life. Separate. Away. What would she do now in her own life? She started school tomorrow. On a virgin scholarship. She lived with the leader of maiden's. She had undone everything in a single afternoon. Her life, if she went back, would be in ruins. But she wasn't the one that built the columns. Her life was constructed from outside sources, but they never checked the foundation. Crumbling it up, was her decision. The first step in the right direction. She was after all the powerful goddess that held Hades between her teeth. She could do what she wanted. And what she wanted was to keep doing Hades. She didn't want to go back.

"I mean. Nothing. . . that important." Persephone finally answered. "I don't mind shirking some responsibilities for a little while longer." She could feel Hades lips spread into a smile at her neck.

"In that case. . . if you want, you can sleep here tonight with me."

She thought about it carefully "No, I think I'll sleep in the guest room again."

"Oh," Hades blinked. "If that's what- you want."

"No silly, that's a joke." She poked his head.

"Ha." Hades sighed in relief. "So you'll stay?" He asked, bewilderment in his eyes with every yes she gave.

She nodded. "Yes, I'll stay."

Hades gulped. He never had a woman stay this long. He never let a woman stay this long. Persephone was different. Even Cerberus knew it.

"I still have a kingdom to run." Hades groaned, sinking into his pillow. He really couldn't keep this up. People depended on him. Her hands rubbed circles on his shoulder and then down his side and he wanted nothing more than to stay in this moment forever.

Persephone bit her lip. "Maybe you can work from home?"


	2. Part 2

**Work From Home**

 **Part 2**

NSFW

* * *

In Olympus, Eros sashayed into his favorite smoothie chain. He caught himself in the reflection of the glass door and spun to admire the love god pointing finger guns back at him. "Hey cutie." He complimented himself then swung inside. "Gooood morning, Lola. Hi, Trell." He winked to the employees. "I'll have my reg, thank you."

"Anything for you, muffin cakes." The cashier blushed and started to work on his chocolate covered breakfast power smoothie with added ambrosia shot. As he waited by the end of the counter, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He glanced at the gossip column magazine; another rumor about Odysseus and his relationship with Athena, trying to stir up dirt on the successful maiden of wisdom. Nothing interesting. All hearsay and hogwash. But that wasn't what drew his attention, no it was something on _The Olympus Times_ underneath.

"Oh no." He shuffled forward, afraid of what he saw on the cover of the news stand. He picked up the newspaper in both hands as if holding a bomb. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit."

* * *

Hades woke up peacefully. For the first time, he was excited to greet a new day. For the past 1800 years he had a set routine with nothing changing in the pattern. He didn't realize how monotonous his life was until she threw a wrench in his schedule. She was quite literally a breath of fresh air and the wind of change.

He nearly wiggled with the thought of her, so surprised to find himself in this predicament he didn't know what to do with himself. His arm swopped down over her side, hoping to run along the length of her back, but instead he touched the soft bedding. He smashed his pillow down and rolled over. Persephone was gone.

In her place, was the indent of her body, the lingering smell of cherry blossoms and honey suckle, and a dozen petals scattered across the linens.

"Persephone?" Hades sat up. His heart sinking to his stomach. A part of him chastised himself for feeling so disappointed. Of course this wouldn't last. Of course she would try to leave in the dead of night. Of course she wanted to get away from him. She'd practically been trapped up in his bed, with he having a monstrous appetite. He thought that it was mutual. Maybe he read the signals all wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.

He slunk off the edge of the bed. The soles of his feet hit the cold hard floor with a sense of finality. Back to reality. He went through the motions of waking up. He took a shower, washing off the last day, the sweat of their love making, the skin that she touched. All evidence of their passion swirled around the drain.

After drying off and gelling his hair back, he picked his outfit without ever looking. It was always the same. Black slacks. White button down. Black suit jacket.

He adjusted the cuff links as he walked into the kitchen, his mind far away from this place. Now that the warm air of change had left, his home felt colder in its absence.

Mechanically, he grabbed an espresso cup and clinked it into place. Cerberus whined behind him. "I'll feed you in a moment." Hades said, watching the black liquid pour into his cup.

"He just wants some of this bacon." A warm raspy voice spoke behind him. Hades spun on his heels and his hair stood on end. Persephone waved a spatulata at him on the other side of the kitchen. A plate of bacon to her left side and Cerberus on the right looking up at her hopefully. "Good morning, Hades. I made breakfast." Around her neck tied the straps of a simple black apron that draped across her chest and hung just to her thighs. "Let me get you a plate." She turned and bent over the counter to plate up some food. Large pink curves of her bare ass swung into vision.

If he were holding something, Hades would have dropped it. "G-good morning." Hades finally articulated, 10 seconds too late. If someone tried to throw a ball at him just now, he would let it hit him before his reactions would kick in.

She grinned at his blank expression. "I've already fed the dogs. We had a good time. Brushed Cordon Bleu. He tried to bite me so I bit him back." She explained her morning to a shell shocked king. "He's a lot more quieter now. Just needed to be alpha'd." She grabbed a fork from one of the drawers as if this were her own home, knowing the layout of every cabinet. "Then I started on breakfast. I grew some potatoes to make some hash browns. I was thinking later I'd make french fries with the rest, because. . . I just want them." She shrugged then looked up at Hades who hadn't moved yet. "Is. . . is that alright?"

He strode towards her fluidly and tilted her face upwards. "Good morning." He said again, bewilderment in his expression. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips delicately to hers. A gentle kiss as sweet as honey. Such care and control in his hands, so different from the wild passion of the past day. She responded immediately, pulling him closer by the edge of his suit. Hades' hands found their way down to her neck and fiddled with the apron string.

Breathlessly, she pulled away. "Don't want your food to get cold." She restrained herself, blushing to the side.

Hades ate quickly. Persephone ate faster.

* * *

"I won't be coming into the office today." Hades spoke over the phone. His legs swung up onto the desk of his home office. Persephone balanced on his lap. Her toes curled on the tops of his thighs. There was a sense of joy in his voice that Hecate wasn't used to. Persephone's presence made facing Monday and the inevitable shit storm at work all the more bareable. She combed her fingers around his ears, scratching his head. "Email me any files that need to be reviewed today, thank you."

"Hades, I don't have a lot of time today I have to get up to-"

"Oh and can you send me the information for a locksmith? Preferably one that has availability today."

Persephone heard her pen-pal's voice on the other line. She bent over to whisper into his other ear, "Oh is that Hecate?" She bit at his earlobe and Hades had to muffle a short gasp.

Hecate's patience was wearing thin. "No, but I'll get your assistant to-"

"Oh, about that. . ." Hades sighed. He said the next sentence with no hint of wickedness or emotional lilting. It took enough concentration to keep a steady conversation while Persephone sucked on his neck. "I need you to fire Minthe for me and send me a list of three new candidates for the position by the end of the day. That's all. Thank you." Cut. Like the thread of the Fates from his life.

Hades tasted something better and no matter what happened at the end of today, he wouldn't let himself fall back into his old patterns. He had already blocked her number, wiping away those notifications blinking red at him. She had two weeks to move out of his apartment.

Now all that was left was to acknowledge his brother. The number of phone calls from him had grown exponentially. Hades groaned. Couldn't he have just one day without talking to his little brother and not have his phone blow up? He stared at the 21 missed calls and the 37 messages. "After lunch." Hades decided, throwing his hands up in the air. Calling him back now would just open up a can of worms. He was already distracted enough as it is. He had to get something done today and it wouldn't if Zeus was in the equation.

He set the phone down and got to work. A much more enjoyable work flow than what he usually did at the office. He scooped Persephone up higher on his lap. He untied the apron strings slowly and then yanked the obstructing fabric to the side. Now at just the right height, Persephone pushed her boobs into a better position and he licked her nipple up like desert. He massaged the other breast in his palm and then switched, making sure both got the same attention. Her nipples hardened under the pressure of his wet tongue. He tugged at them gently with his teeth, enjoying the rippling moan that escaped out of her. His other hand dragged down her stomach up under her mound. Dear gods, she was already so wet. He moaned around her breast, leaning into her. She gasped as his fingers flicked across her clit.

Now this type of work- he didn't mind doing overtime.

He dragged his finger through her wet crevice. She whimpered softly and rocked her hips back and forth on his hand eagerly. With his mouth sucking at her neck, he opened up her folds and dipped middle finger into her while his thumb played at her swollen nub.

She gasped and wrapped her legs around him, trying to hold on as she was sure to fall apart. His other arm wrapped around her back supportively.

"My sweetness." He whispered under her jaw, making her tremble. Slowly he rose out of his chair, lifting her by his hand inside of her cavern, digging further. She gasped as her weight pressed against this thumb, sending a shock wave of pleasure up through her clit. So intense she could barely breathe. She couldn't take it, so much focused pressure on her nub.

Before she could say anything, Hades set her back down on his desk. The hand on her back knocked everything off the desk behind her. Papers scattered into the air. A stand and a desk organizer clunked against the wall. Hades lips never lifted off her skin. Slowly from her jaw, he kissed down her throat, sucking gently. Then his nose swept a pattern along her collarbone and soon his kiss wrapped her nipple between his lips.

Hades sat back in his chair, then lowered it down till his head was just between her thighs.

Persephone giggled, feeling a blush ripple through her body as his tongue began to stroke against her swollen pinkness. She combed his hair back. Keeping him there. Keeping herself steady.

Sweet nothings whispered out between his lips as he kissed her pleasure. She felt him like a fire, and her whole body felt his heat. Intense and hungry. She tensed in places she didn't know she had, twitching under his spell. Soft breathless moans spilled out of her as two fingers slipped inside her pink. His knuckles curving along her tight pussy.

"Gods, you're so delicious." Hades sighed. His lips dripped with her essence. He continued to drink her in.

She lifted her legs to his shoulder tops, pressing against him, needing something to push while he seemed to lift her higher up. In her mind she was flying somewhere near the ceiling. Pleasure richoteched through her. Orgasms building up on each other.

Her whimpers grew louder, turning into moans. His teeth grazed her bud and pulled carefully. Her moans turned to cries. Her chest heaved. He could feel the fire building up again inside of her.

"Oh, Hades." She panted. "Hades." She screamed. His other hand massaged her breasts, lightly thumbing over her nipple. "Oh!"

He needed air, but he didn't dare. He would suffocate before breaking off her pleasure. She rocked desperately onto him. Tension holding back the gates. Then suddenly, she trembled like an earthquake and her pleasure collapsed around him. He drank in her ecstasy.

"Oh, Hades." Persephone hummed drowsily, closing her legs to protect her over-sensitive flower. Her hands fell from his hair to her side and she fell back onto the desk, her hair falling off the other edge. He stood up and eyed her expectantly.

"Yes?" She blinked up at him.

"How did I do?" He asked uncharastically timid.

"Hmm." She thought about it, perching up on her elbows. Her foot dragged along his thigh. "Reviewing your job performance I'd say you performed. . . exceptionally."

"On a five point scale?"

"Seven."

"On a likert scale?"

"Strongly agree." Persephone laughed and pulled him over her to kiss him. "Now. How do you feel about earning overtime?"

* * *

Tucking his wings in, Eros crashed into the beauty parlor feet saw his mother sitting under the hair dryer talking animatedly to some nymph by her side who had foils in her hair.

"MOM!" He yelled angrily at her.

So absorbed into her conversation, she didn't even blink. However, the nymph looked up at the noise and her eyes batted wide open with shock. A creamy blush stained her face.

"Hey pal." The shop owner slapped a sign near the front wall. "No Wings."

"Oh, sorry." Eros curled them back and they faded away into a mist of sparkles. He swiveled back on mission. "APHRODITE!" He yelled.

This time she turned. Eros stormed up to her.

"What in the-" She pushed the hair dryer up. "What do you think you're doing."

Eros slapped the newspaper on the arm of her chair. "What have YOU done?" He countered.

The headline for today's _The Olympus Times_ read as follows:

"Missing Princess: Ongoing Search for Abducted Barley Co Heiress"


	3. Part 3

**Work From Home**

 **Part 3**

NSFW

* * *

Persephone slicked back Hades' hair and straightened his tie. "There we go." She nodded in approval. She hopped off his lap and appraised him from the edge of his desk. "Dashing. Professional. Not looking like a windblown sailor." She patted his shirt, flattening out the crumples where she had shoved the fabric back.

He chuckled under his breath. "Thanks." In one hand he held a copy of the new building proposal that would be discussed in a video conference in just a few minutes. With his other hand he slid down her thigh to the back of her knee. She laughed and quickly twisted out of his grasp.

"Don't." She shook her head. "Don't start."

He sighed. "This is the problem with working from home." He grabbed her by the ass and pulled her back onto his lap. "I get so distracted."

"Well, I don't want to be a source of your problems. No one wants a lazy king."

Hades clicked his mouth. "You're right." Reluctantly, he released her. Before she slid back to her feet, she tilted his face up and kissed him. Their lips like magnets, fitting to each other perfectly and hard to tear apart. She sighed into his neck. "I can't very well sit on your lap, tits out and moaning while you have a conference call."

Hades ran his hand through her hair. "Mmm. I mean, you could very well. But again." He twisted a lock around his finger. "The distraction would be astronomical. And I'd rather keep you to myself. I don't like the idea of my employees all turning into voyeurs."

"Alright." Persephone kissed his cheek. "I'll preoccupy myself." She picked up the apron on the floor and sashayed out the room on her tiptoes, butt naked, and unashamed.

* * *

Hera eyed Zeus with a cigarette in her hand. "You know something, don't you?" Behind her was a small ensemble of people gathered to look for Persephone. Artemis among them, paced nervously. Quietly under her breath she kept repeating "All my fault."

"Bunny, you know I can't lie to you." Zeus responded warily. "Does this look like the face of someone that would purposefully hide the whereabouts of our friend's daughter?"

Hera didn't respond, but just took another puff of her cigarette. A cloud of smoke swirled around him. "Mhm." She nodded slowly and then turned to face the search party.

Discreetly, Zeus pulled out his phone and called again for the 50th time. He muttered under his breath, "Pick up, you big stupid blueberry."

* * *

Persephone tugged the fur coat around her shoulders tighter as she explored the halls of Hades' estate. Cerberus wagged his tail happily at her side, like her unofficial tour guide. She'd seen much of the house already. He pressed her up against that wall there. On that counter they did doggy style. In the dining room, they sixty-nined on the table. In the pool, he held her gently while his cock swam in and out of her like the waves of the ocean. It was nice to see the place without the sex filled haze of lust. They'd been animals and it felt good to be grounded in reality, without losing that passion. It made it deeper. Better.

She wandered back down the hall of relics. A row of busts displayed headpeices through several eras. The first was obviously the most modern. A pair of dark sunglasses rested on the bridge of the statues' nose. The next one was a brodie helmet with a large spike on the top, a metal clasp told her, while old, it was still one of the most modern helmets. The next was a simple woven cap. The next a mortar board, from some graduation. Then a top hat. On and on, varying types of hats and helmets, their uses as varied as their material. Until the last helmet. A slick dark metal. Obviously by design the oldest headpiece here, but it had been well looked after. Even for it's age, the construction was immaculate. Strange symbols that even she couldn't read were etched into a pattern around the base. She knew exactly what this was.

Cerberus whined softly. She turned to him. "Do you think I can borrow this?" He stretched and woofed. "Good boy."

Delicately, she lifted the helmet off its stand. A wicked smile growing on her face as it hummed in her fingers.

* * *

"Well, obviously, I won't be willing to go over 15%." Hades leaned back in his office chair. A full cigar in his hand, the smoke swirled in the room.

Just then the door opened. He looked up and then down to see if one of the dogs had gotten loose. " _Odd."_ He thought to himself and sat back down.

"No, no." Hades shook his head. "You're not listening. I said NOT over 15%. Do you know how math works?"

The smoke in the room moved in a strange way in one section by the book cases. It didn't swirl evenly or in a natural line. He blinked and the distortion vanished.

"I don't care if they won't go for less than 19. We'll find someone else, then. That's not my-ah-ah." Hades flinched as he felt some kind of gentle pressure on his inner thigh. A cool finger, or, what felt like one at least, pressed against his lips.

"Shh." A voice hushed into his ear, tickling the small inner hairs. Familiar feeling of teeth at his earlobe, gently nipping.

Hades swallowed and looked down at his lap trying to compose himself. "Sorry. The connection must have hiccuped." He leaned forward towards the camera, his face taking up the frame as if he were inspecting something on his keyboard. But his hand flew to his side, grasping in the air until she caught him in her invisible grasp. He gulped again, feeling what was definitely her warm soft hand so small it made him weep, but when he looked over he saw he only held the air. He rose his hand up, following what would be her arm, to her shoulder, jumping from her neck to her jaw and then he hit metal.

"Ahah." Hades nodded. "That explains it." He leaned back into his chair. "Continue. Who's next?" He slapped his knee and tilted his head to the side. "Come on, then." He spoke to her and to his employees at the same time.

He felt his belt buckle being undone. Small invisible hands making quick work of his zipper. Quickly, he arranged the webcam to only see above his shoulders.

Persephone straddled him carefully. She pressed her lips on his chest to keep from laughing. She looked behind her at the feed on the computer. Where her head should be eclipsing Hades'. . . there was nothing. She pushed her hands down his chest, over his pecs, across his abs and then used her fingernails to scratch up.

"Hmm." Hades pressed his lips shut, pretending to react to something on the other end.

She breathed softly against his neck and goosebumps rose on his skin. He squeezed her thigh, or what he thought must be her thigh. It was hard to tell. Gently, she played with his hair. Just a few strands she lifted in between her fingers. She snickered into his jacket at the rogue hairs flying up in the monitor.

She grabbed his hands on the arm rest and guided them to her breast. She was small enough that this wouldn't appear on the screen. He gulped, feeling her as if for the first time. _Gods, she was so soft._ He could picture her, pink patches under his fingers. He poked her boob, and it felt strange not to be able to see it jiggle. He wanted to kiss her, but couldn't. He wanted to lick her body up and down, but not now.

No. He could only sit there. Suffer. Taking what he could that she offered. The only movement allowed had to happen below the camera.

Carefully, she began to rock back and forth on his hips. Rubbing him harder and harder with her body.

"Huh." He leaned forward, and adjusted himself underneath her, shaking down a few inches of his slacks.

She never got tired of seeing his cock spring out of its confinement. The first time, she had been so intimidated, unsure of how to properly handle one, especially one so large. She had been worried they wouldn't fit. She wasn't intimidated now. She knew what she was capable of and she could flex her newly found prowess in creative ways. Warming herself up, and making sure Hades was also warned of what was about to happen, she rubbed her wet pussy over him lengthwise.

His grip tightened on her thigh and completely halted his thought process. His hands then moved up her legs, holding her ass momentarily and then traveled to the front, caressing her mound. He tried to paint a picture of her body in his hands.

Of all the uses of his helmet of darkness, this was the best one yet.

The chair shifted as she rose on her knees. Her nipples caressed his chest as she did so. And she wondered if he knew what body part it was. His stiff cock kept rising towards her wet entrance. She guided him gently, enjoying the tortured stillness of her partner.

Hades pressed his lips together again, bracing himself.

And then she plunged on top of him. "Oh." Hades breathed and wiped a strand of hair away from his forehead.

She rose again and crashed around him. His hands clawed at her ass, trying to grab onto something tangible. This was the strangest sensation made all the more frustrating by his predicament, but he loved the thrill of it.

He was conducting a multi-million dollar business proposal meeting while an invisible goddess rode on top of him. If his brothers ever squeezed this story out of him, he could only imagine the spine crushing tackle Poseidon would give him in approval.

Gods, she felt electric. Her pussy took him so well, he wanted nothing more than to stay inside her forever if he could. He'd found a new home between her legs and he wasn't planning on moving.

He thrusted up inside her, penetrating deeper than she could push down. He clicked the mute button on the computer. And grunted.

He grabbed her legs, or her waist. Her arm might be in there somewhere. He wasn't sure. Whatever he could grab, he pressed down as he rose up inside her.

A force pushed his arms away, pinning them to the chair. He obliged and relaxed back, taking quick shallow breaths. He felt her head hit his chest and a sigh muffled out in his shirt. Hot breath on his skin. He took a moment to enjoy all the sensations. He wanted to feel every part of her. She rolled over-top of him, squeezing him from inside. Then he felt her get up.

She adjusted her position, turning herself around so that she was facing the computer. She pressed her hands on the edge of his chair and squatted back onto him with her legs together. She wiggled her vagina down onto him, feeling his crown press into her.

Hades appeared in some kind of state on the monitor.

Someone asked him a question, but she bounced on him so deliciously, nothing else computed. Even if he wanted to answer, he had muted himself.

His hands slid up her legs to her waist. He held her steady and thrusted up into her again. Persephone bit her lip and rubbed her breast between her own fingers. His dick was so large it activated all her pleasure zones without needing anything else. She whimpered softly. Then realizing they were muted, her exhales grew more voracious. Hades too fed off her own pleasure in a feedback loop that never ended. Persephone pinched her nipples between her thumb and forefinger and shimmed her waist creating more movement between them than the thrusting.

She looked through half open eyelids and something strange was happening on the screen. Hades vanishing every other second from the monitor. She looked behind her, the helmet on her head weighing her down. Hades looked . . . ensnared. Completely oblivious, but ruggedly sexy.

She turned back to the monitor. Like a glitch, he kept disappearing.

Hades breath grew more shallow. His movements deeper. "Is it muted?" He asked in a low gravelly voice.

"Yes. Yes." Persephone painted in answer. He groaned at her voice. Throwing him even closer. He found her hair and tugged on it. She gasped out and he pulled tighter.

"I'm close." He warned.

"Yes." Persephone pleaded. "Yes."

He opened his eyes, confused for a moment, as he saw Persephone's back arching. Her hair swung into his palm. Her ass doing over time, bobbing up and down on him. The helmet must have accepted them as one. Completely joined, he could see her in this space. To anyone else, he would be invisible too.

"Fuck." Hades moaned. His hands gripped her tightly, holding her in place as he came inside of her. He thrusted a few more times then withdrew. She disappeared again, but his pearlescent cum dripped out of thin air.

He straightened his collar and cleared his throat. He clicked the mute button again. "Sorry guys. I had some interference on my end." Her fingers tickled him behind his neck. She pressed her lips against his ear. "You're incredible." She tucked him back inside his pants and zipped him up.

"No you are." He responding softly. Then he shook his head. "I mean. You are the one responsible for overseeing the quality control in that region." He covered lamely.

She kissed his cheek again and then left.

He eyed the room suspiciously. He muted the conversation again. "Are you still here?" He asked into the empty room. When he felt like it was safe again, he unmuted.

"Try and get rid of me." She whispered again at his neck and he jumped.

Just then the door to his office slammed open. Zeus appeared in the doorway. He glared at Hades. "I have been calling you for two days. Why." He stomped one leg in. "Haven't." Stomp. "You. Answered." He finished dramatically.

Hades took a deep breath. "Alright fellas." He addressed his conference meeting. "That's the god of gods. Wrap this up amongst yourselves and send me the minutes later." He closed his laptop.

"Zeus. What do I owe the pleasure?" He crossed his arms.

"Have you not seen my 400 phone calls?" Zeus swiped his arms to either side. Persephone slammed against the bookshelves to keep from being hit. "Dear gods, it smells like fuck in here." His nose sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed. "Oh my gods. She was here, wasn't she?"

"I'm not sure who you're talking about." Hades loosened his collar, the color of guilt rising from his neck.

Zeus slapped him with the newspaper. "I have been trying to cover for you for two days, and you're going to just sit there and lie to me." He clutched his own chest. "Betrayal."

Hades stood up, eying the newspaper. "Oh, for fucks sake." He knocked the newspaper with his knuckles.

"Listen, I know you didn't do it. But I know she was here." Zeus said. "I know she was in the back of your car the night of the party and this is not a good look if people find out."

Hades tried to figure out what to do.

"I suppose she's already left." Zeus scratched his ear. . . his stern business voice started to fade away. "I have to ask. . ." He fiddled with something on his desk. "How was she?"

"Wow." Hades shook his head in disbelief. "There's a goddess missing and you just want to know if I banged her."

"Well, I know you didn't kidnap her, so I'm not here to arrest you." Zeus shrugged.

Hades pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Zeus."

"Listen, I know you've been down lately."

"Zeus."

"I was hoping you'd have a good story."

"Zeus."

"At least tell me you didn't let her leave withOUT getting a piece of that action."

"Zeus." Hades sat back down, annoyed at so many things he didn't even know where to begin to break it down.

"Alright look. Well, no one has seen her. Eros was the last person to see her. I presume it was actually you. No one else knows that yet. But Aphrodite is about to talk to the media, and you know how that goes."

"What!" Hades leaped up.

"The news is going to break sooner or later. So you need to be ready to answer some tough questions. They're going to be asking where you're hiding her. If you're keeping her. If you left her to die. If you fed her to Cerberus. Etc. etc." He checked his watch. "I just came to warn you before the hounds came after you. This is trending. This is the biggest thing since Pandora. Everyone wants to find out where Persephone is." He sniffed again. "Wait a second." He looked up at Hades. "Oh my gods. She's still here isn't she?"

Hades bowed his head. "Persephone. I'm sure you've had the pleasure of meeting my brother Zeus before."

Persephone pulled the helmet off her head. She appeared suddenly in the room, a bright pop of pink and completely naked. Her hair gave her some coverage but not enough. Unabashedly, she approached Zeus. "Hello." She held out her hand. Quickly, Hades wrapped his coat around her, protectively. Zeus lit up and shook her hand energetically. "And yes," Persephone said tossing her hair back. "We did bang. And yes, it was amazing."

"Oh my gods," Zeus breathed. "Hades, you really fucking kidnapped her, didn't you?"

Persephone scoffed. "I'm exactly where I want to be. Thank you very much."


	4. Nosy Neighbors 1

**AN: Sooooooo I heard you guys. You wanted more.**

 **Consider the next few chapters. A type of sequel.**

* * *

Work From Home:

 **Nosy Neighbors**

* * *

Hades escorted Persephone back to the kitchen where it all started. Like a domino knocking over, one thing leading to another, their frantic urges here gave way into a marathon of passion. That passion bled into nearly every room of his mansion leaving behind a massacre of ecstasy. He would have fetched it himself, but that would have meant leaving Persephone alone with his brother. Obviously, he couldn't let that happen, especially while the only clothing she had was his suit jacket draped across her shoulders.

"Here you go." Hades bent down and picked up the pale gold dress she had worn at the party… how many nights ago was it? Two. She hadn't worn anything else except for random pieces of his wardrobe that were quickly removed. He held the dress in his hands; It was practically the size of a dish towel and he still could not believe that anybody could fit inside of a thing so small. He smirked mischievously. _He had fit inside of a thing so small. Only just._ The grin vanished as he berated himself for such lewd thoughts.

"Thank you!" Persephone took the dress. As she did a small card fell out of the built in bustier.

"Oh. This dropped." Hades caught it with lightning quick reflexes. "Who's Kore?" He asked reading the name on her business card.

"OH!" Persephone tried to snatch the business card back. "Oh no. That's an old one."

Hades held it a loft. "Ms. Goddess of Spring, did you make this?"

"Well." Persephone sighed, defeated. "Yeah." She scratched the back of her head and her breast became exposed from the shelter of his coat. Hades resisted the urge to censor her with his mouth.

"That was my old name." She admitted.

"This looks like a child did this." He said with obvious delight in his tone. He accidentally brushed against her chest as he pushed her away. He froze and let Persephone swipe her business card back.

"Well, I did make those a few years ago." Persephone huffed. "So kind of."

Hades squinted his eyes. "What does that mean?"

Zeus walked in just then. "Okay. Ten minutes?" He talked into the phone at his ear. "Sounds good. We'll be ready." He got off the phone. "Okay, Persephone, get some clothes on. Here's the plan."

"There's a plan?" Persephone tilted her head to the side and shrugged out of Hades coat.

"Yes." Zeus nodded, not at all phased at the nudity displayed in front of him. This wasn't the first time he helped one of his brother's lays escape a media frenzy.

"Why?" Persephone asked while stepping into her dress. "Oh. Can you zip me up?" She asked Hades. He stepped behind her and held her hair to the side while she pulled her dress over and up her curves.

"Because, we are proactive people. There's a shitstorm coming and we'll need to be prepared."

"I don't understand. Why is there a shitstorm?"

"The people think you've been kidnapped. When they think. . . 'Persephone'. . . when they think 'Demeter's daughter' that word is going to be tied to your name."

"But that's not true." Persephone put Hades coat back on.

"I know that. But it doesn't matter." He pulled up "oracle" on his phone and typed in " _Persephone"_ into the search bar. "See." He held his phone out to her. "It's the first thing that pops up. I'm sorry little goddess, but that won't go away. That kind of image lingers in people's minds."

"So. . . what do we do?" Hades sighed. Guilt stung at his midsection. He never thought their in home adventures would cause such life altering distruction for her. Then again, he wasn't really thinking about the long term. The moment he turned his phone off, he was trying to shut out the world. Well, the world crashed in any way.

"Well. The good news is that people don't know that Persephone has been here the whole time. Thanks Gaia for that. Fuck, that would be a nightmare to untangle." Zeus wiped proverbial sweat from his forehead. "So. We have to keep it that way. My assistant is coming in ten minutes. You're going to exit with me." He pointed to Hades. "Thetis and Persephone will leave out the back at the same time to avoid any suspicion."

"But." Persephone tapped her toes together. "People still think I'm gone. What do I say if I can't say I was with Hades? People are going to want to know where I've been and why I was gone."

"Well." Zeus took a breath. "This depends on. . ." He cleared his throat. "Hades, can I have chat with you." He beamed a grin at Persephone. "This'll just take a moment." He pulled Hades by the collar to the side of the room. They had an oddly emotional conversation. Persephone tried to hear what they were saying, but every time she edged closer, Zeus looked at her with the power of the earth.

"Just _Brother_ stuff." Hades waved.

So Persephone scouted away, out of the kitchen and began to clean herself up in the bathroom. She took a wet rag and scraped her skin with it, trying to remove the sweat that had accumulated over the past two days. There wasn't time for a shower.

While braiding her hair, Persephone strode back into the kitchen. Hades and Zeus were leaning casually over the counter.

"So. As I was saying." Zeus straightened up and elbowed Hades. They both smiled at her conspiratorially. "Thetis is gonna drop you off at an undisclosed location. We'll leak to the media that a monster got loose. We'll change the narrative. Just as the journalists arrive, Hades will come in, sweep you off your feet. No one will think he kidnapped you or made you his sex slave for two days, instead they'll applaud him. You'll kiss. It'll be romantic. Think of the headlines." He painted a picture of his vision. "Gods, I'm good." He clapped his hands together. "Now. My assistant should be here any moment." Just then his phone buzzed. "Ah, it's her. One second." He pressed the green button. "Hey cutie. Ahuh." He nodded at Hades. "Ahuh. Sure. Wait. What? WHAT?" Zeus stormed towards the front of the house. Hades and Persephone followed at his heels.

From the foyer, Persephone saw light flash from behind the blinds. One of the few areas on the house that actually had blinds. The flashing light cast shadows on the floor.

"That's odd." Persephone commented. "I didn't know it was storming." She l

hadn't heard any thunder.

Hades groaned. "That's not a storm."

Zeus peeled back a curtain. "FUCK." He pulled out his phone again and refreshed the page of Persephone's search results and groaned. "Change of plan."

Behind him a row of paparazzi were gathered outside. Within the last 5 minutes a photo started circulating. A photo of Hades' house zoomed in on his kitchen. A pink hand pressed against the window. Blue arms pinning her down. A pink face caught in a scream.

* * *

 _Click._ _Click_. _Click._

"Hey sweetheart. Look this way!" _-Flash-_ "Persephone, over here!" - _Flash-_ "Persephone were you forced?" - "Flower goddess, give me a smile!" - _Flash-_ "What's his dick like?" - "Did he hurt you?" - "Turn around for me!"

The underworld lit up with bright flashing lights. It hurt her eyes, so she kept her focus down on the ground.

The paparazzi tried to get a rise out of her, but she wouldn't fall for it. Instead she wormed her arm through Hades' and together they walked to the car waiting for them in the driveway, Thetis in the front seat with the engine running. Hades' hands kept twitching in and out of a fist by his side. He too kept his eyes on the ground, but he wanted to pierce into every single one of the parasite's souls. The little bastards. One look and he could murder them, but he spared them his glances. He kept his mouth shut, but he wanted to scream. He kept his arm's neutral, but he wanted to shield Persephone with them-carry her, hide her, protect her. But no. They needed to see her. They needed to see she was okay, unharmed. And, just as importantly, they need to see him, calm and non-threatening.

"If you bark back at them, they win." Zeus had instructed them. "If you get mad, they win." He paced across the living room. "Don't let them know, they got you. We can use this to our advantage." He pointed his finger. "And remember. Tell no one I was here."

Methodically, Hades opened the door for her and helped her up. With his long thick coat, he shielded the cameras as she bent over to get into the backseat. They'd already seen too much. Thousand of people had seen in the now notorious photo, a pink blur of body. They weren't going to get a wardrobe malfunction to add to their menagerie.

Hades closed the door as Persephone safely nestled into the back seat.

Hades nodded to Thetis as he walked around to the other side and slid into the passenger seat.

"Drive." He muttered under his breath. The car squealed underneath them.

Persephone leaned against the center console. "Hi. I'm Persephone." She greeted.

Thetis grinned. "Hey gurl. Thetis."

"She's Zeus's personal assistant." Hades added. "Also is Poseidon's assistant too part time." He remembered one night at a karaoke bar, Thetis had "offered her services" to him too. He told her there were no positions open.

"I'm also an all around badass." She flipped her hair back. "Welcome to the club, gurl." She winked at her, then slid an eye to Hades. "Guess you found an opening after all, didn't you?"

Hades adjusted his collar, suppressing a sex joke.

The dark tinted windows protected them from the onlookers outside. They all ran for cover as Thetis charged down the driveway and onto the highway towards the gates. Behind them the paparazzi followed in unmarked vans.

Feeling a little locked out in the backseat to herself, Persephone pulled the lever next to Hades seat. Suddenly, Hades found himself reclining and staring up at the roof. A pink nervous face hovered into view.

"Hey." She cradled his head in her arm.

"Hi." Hades breathed softly, reaching his hand up to boop her small nose. She laughed and caught his hand in hers. She bent down and briefly kiss his lips upside down, pulling up again before he could react.

"So. Our game plan." Persephone bit her lip.

* * *

Back in the living room. "The truth." Zeus sighed, stopping in place. "We'll, just. . . have to go with the truth. All cards on the table."

"And. . . what is the truth?" Hades growled.

"Well fuck, guys. I don't know." Zeus slapped his face. "You tell me."

* * *

"Yes?" Hades raised his eyebrows, rubbing his thumb over Persephone's hand.

"Well. I think I should probably tell you _my_ truth." She twiddled a finger around a strand of hair.

Red eyes stared up at her acceptingly. "You can tell me." He reassured her. "Of course, you can tell me."

Persephone eyed Thetis.

"I'm not even here." Thetis shrugged. "Can't hear a thing." She pulled out her headphones.

"Don't worry about her." Hades said. "If she knows how to do one thing, she knows how to keep a secret."

"Okay. Well." Persephone leaned over Hades. "So, you know how. . . we had a whole bunch of sex."

"I'm aware. Yes." Hades lips twitched.

"Well, before that. Um." Persephone tugged at Hades seat belt. "I didn't really."

"What?"

"Well, I mean. So. I. .. was actually a. . ." She gulped. Why was this so hard to admit? There's nothing wrong with it. She had never had an issue bringing it up before. "Youuuu. . ." She began to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt. "You were my first." She admitted slowly.

She watched him register her words, turning it around in his head until he finally got there. His eyes popped wide open. "Oh. OH." His cheeks stained with a dark blue blush. "You'd never. . . Really?"

Persephone nodded.

"Well," Hades shrugged. "That's alright." He cleared his throat. "My gods." He chuckled. "I feel kind of. . . I don't know." He eyed her mischievously. "You. . . didn't. . . I mean." He struggled to find the words. "I didn't suspect that was your. . . first rodeo, so to speak."

"You're a helluva ride." Persephone smirked.

Thetis pursed her lips. _She heard nothing._

"Well, thank you?" Hades said awkwardly. "I feel a little, I mean, I kind of put you through the ringer for your first experience with…"

Persephone placed her finger on his lips, stopping him from digging himself into a hole. "There's more." She winced.

"Huh?" Hades raised his eyebrow and twisted around in the seat to look at Persephone head on. "What do you mean?"

"So, the truth. Our truth is that we seduced each other and had a passionate weekend together." She templed her hands in front of her. Her whole body reddening. "There's going to be a lot of push back."

"Why? Because you hadn't had sex before? That's not really a reason too-" She covered his mouth again. "You do know I'm King right?" He mumbled under her fingers.

"Oh. Sorry." Persephone said, forgetting the social structure. They'd deconstructed everything in the bedroom before.

He wiggled free from her hand and then scooted into the back seat with her. She made room for him and sat on her knees.

"I wasn't. . . just a virgin." She balled her hands up into her fist. "I was supposed to be. . . an eternal maiden."

Hades clutched his chest as the wind knocked out of him. "E-e-e-ternal. . . maiden?" His eyes rolled back and the king of the underworld collapsed forward onto Persephone's lap.

"Well, that went well." She sighed, stroking his fluffy white hair.. She caught Thetis looking in the mirror. "We're fucked right?"

"Well and truly." Thetis commented. "Not that I heard anything."

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for reading and it would be a pleasure if you left a review. Tell me what you think, if you want more. etc etc.**

 **xoxo**

 **Goldie**


	5. Nosy Neighbors 2

Enjooooooy!

* * *

 **Nosy Neighbors**

 **2**

* * *

Falling. Time slips between his fingers, but now he slips between the fingers of time. Grasping at air. A silent scream stuck in his throat. A silence that will stay for years to come. The same old nightmare. Swallowed into - A bed of pink tulips. Petals so soft, they felt like a warm breeze. He found himself in a field dotted with color, not the darkness of eternity. Light radiated, not from the sun, but all around him. He reached up to touch the tall purple allium-gladiators that bowed forward towards him in the gentle wind.

"Hades." She whispered from far away. "Hades." The voice cleared up, drawing nearer. "Hades." A cool hand traced his forehead down to his nose and pushed up, wrinkling his nose. "Wake up. You're groping my boobs."

The king of the underworld blinked from the back seat of Thetis's car. "Oh. Oh, I'm sorry." Hades muttered still fogged by his recent unconsciousness. What happened?

"Hades?" Persephone smirked.

"Yes?" Hades asked sheepishly.

"Your hand." Pointedly, she looked down at her chest where Hades' palm still wrapped around her breast.

"Right." Hades nodded. "Sorry." He moved his hand slowly down her stomach and over her thigh to the hem of her dress where her soft pink skin began. "Where are we?" He pulled up on his elbows, but Persephone pushed him back down into the cushion.

"Fleeing." Persephone reminded him. "Thetis just stopped at a gas station to get some snacks. We're worried about your blood sugar levels. How are you?" She checked the side of his cheek with the back of her hand. A warm blush rose under her fingertips as Hades moved his hands further down Persephone's legs to her knees that were dangerously placed against his chest. He briefly wondered what it would be like to be pinned down by her. To be smothered by her. Restrained.

"Me?" He cleared his throat (and his head.) "I think the real question is how are _you_?"

Persephone sighed and leaned forward over Hades till her lips were just inches away. He felt her cool breath on his long eyelashes. "Well. Despite facing a future in which I have to drop out of school, become homeless, and battle scandalous headlines for the rest of eternity, I'm doing remarkably well."

"What?" Hades sat up, holding Persephone up on his lap. "Drop out? Homeless?"

"Oh." Persephone laughed nervously. "Well. You know. Part of the whole eternal maiden thing was an academic scholarship and room and board with Artemis. So." Persephone scratched behind her ear nervously.

"Persephone." Gears started turning. "I- I didn't know. If I had-."

A pink finger closed up worried lips. "If you had known, you wouldn't have. . ." She took in a deep breath and smiled warmly down to Hades red eyes. She curled her other hand into his hair. "You wouldn't have given me the best two days of my life." Persephone replaced her finger with her lips, gently kissing Hades.

He pulled apart, concerned. "But your life is. . . it's falling apart." Hades crushed her into a firm embrace, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck.

He felt a nip on his skin. Persephone pulled out of his embrace, just so she could cradle Hades face in her hands. "You know. Being a Goddess of Spring, I control the first growth. From seed to first sprout. Do you know something? For the plant to live, the seed must die. The life that is crumbling apart, gives way for a better one."

Hades blinked. He thought he'd already seen the best of Persephone, but she still kept surprising him with more lovely and admirable qualities. Wisdom - Hades checked off an imaginary box in his head. "Persephone. How old are you?"

"Old enough." Persephone smirked. He'd had enough for one day.

"You're not upset?" Hades still felt terrible.

"I'm -." Persephone looked down at Hades chest between her knees. "I am nervous. I'm scared." Meekly, she smiled, a kind of sadness hidden in the curve of her lips. "Everything is going to change now. I don't know what happens tomorrow." She shivered.

"Whatever happens." Hades started softly. "You won't face it alone."

"No?" Persephone's eyes widened.

"Y-y-y-y-" Hades pursed his lips in embarrassment.

Persephone eyes widened even further. She waited patiently.

"Y-you." Hades caressed the tops of her cheeks where a cluster of dark pink freckles lived. "You have me." He let out like a deep secret. "I-i-if, of course," Hades put an addendum to his statement. "If you want me. That is."

"If I want you?" Persephone bit her lip. "Was I not clear earlier? You're so uncertain." Seductively, Persephone slipped her knees to either side of Hades' chest, straddling his waist with her thighs. "What do I need to do to make you understand," She paused to lift her dress up. "That you're everything I want."

Breath left Hades. In another dazed moment, his belt buckle was undone. "Persephone." he whispered with the only air left in the car.

"Hades." Persephone smirked. "Your hands?"

He blinked up at her confused. She looked down pointedly at her breast.

"Oh. Right." Hades grinned and cupped them rightfully under the curve of her breast. She felt his growing bulge beneath her and she licked her lips. With Hades, she wasn't nervous anymore.

HONK!

Persephone yelped. And Hades hair stood straight on end.

"Knock-knock." Thetis returned from the gas station with a white plastic bag in her hand. "Whatever was happening in her, break it up. Pull your pants up. Push your dress down. Momma Thetis has snacks."

As they continued on down the road, Hades silently chewed on a licorice candy. _Maiden._ Kore. _Virgin._ Hades eyed Persephone from the side as she chatted with Thetis. Though she had qualmed his initial reservations, he still couldn't help feeling guilty. He pulled the chewy candy, snapping it off with his front teeth. Persephone was right. If she had told him any of this, he would have put a pause on their actions. He looked out the window, catching his brooding reflections against the dark skyline. Or would he?

Persephone scrambled up in the front seat next to Thetis. She felt Hades thinking through something and decided to give him some space.. She didn't know Hades very well, but she knew she was a lot. She knows what it's like to just want some space to think. Back in the mortal realm, when the flower nymphs all fell asleep, she would slip away in the middle of the night just to breath and look up at the night sky. Not worry about other people's needs and wants, just for a few quiet moments. During festivals, once the ceremonies were completed, her "thank you for comings" had been said, and her duties checked off, she liked to climb the highest tree to get away from the noise, separating herself from the crowd to be herself. She only came back down when people began to notice her absence. Sometimes it took hours.

"So how do you like working for Zeus?" Persephone smiled, making casual conversation.

Thetis' lips twitched into a smirk. "It's tough work, but I love what I do." She tapped the steering wheel. "It's a work hard play hard environment." She leaned closer to Persephone. "Can you keep a secret?"

Persephone shrugged honestly..

Thetis continued on anyway. "I actually prefer working for his brother Poseidon." She laughed. "Though, not sure if you can call that working at all. I'm very good at doing nothing."

Persephone laughed. "I think I'd get too bored. My hands always have to be doing something."

"Oh, my hands had plenty to do." Thetis smirked. "Alright." She pulled up suddenly and put the car in park."Hey broody boy." She swiveled to the back seat, catching Hades off guard. "We're here."

Hades sat in a swivel chair in front of a mirror. A makeup artist put light blue concealer under his eyes to hide the tired half moons sunken into his cheeks. She trimmed and flicked out his eyebrows. Put a light powder on his nose and forehead. Another nymph combed and gelled his hair back. He hated every second in that chair. They tried to dress him in some of Zeus's clothes, but Hades objected outright. Groomed like one of his dogs. Keeping up appearances, for appearances sake. Watching as they tried to make him look. . . better. He was an almighty powerful god. Wasn't he supposed to already be radiant? Perfect. Youth was not something granted to him in his immortality. What were the optics of him standing next to a flower bud of radiant youth. Death weighed on Hades. What right did he have to bring her down with him? Did he already do too much damage? Right now she was sitting in another make up room, getting ready. Ready to let the world judge her. Getting ready to face the cruel reality of vicious slander.

 _Maiden._ Kore. _Virgin._

This could have all been avoided if he hadn't been so foolishly intoxicated by her. He should have protected her. This was all his fault. Did he take advantage of her? She's young. He stared at himself in the mirror. Red eyes glowing back. The nymph's trying tirelessly to soften his appearance, but no amount of makeup or hair gel could hide the fact that he was King of the Underworld. Dark ruler of the dead. Master of monsters. The Unseen one.

His hands curled into tight fists. Persephone was a stranded guest in his house. She had no way to leave. Red eyes looked disappointingly back at him.

He thought back to that moment in the kitchen. Reevaluating every detail with this new perspective, trying to find the moments where he pushed her.

 _Hades began unbuttoning the top of his shirt. "Look, we can do this in the kitchen if you want, but I have to warn you. . . there are no blinds in here and my neighbors are super nosy."_

 _Persephone turned her head to look at him. "Why would they mind you helping me with my hair?"_

Fuck.

 _She gazed up at him and smiled, "I'm Persephone, by the way."_

" _Nice to meet you, Persephone." Hades said between shallow breaths. "I'm Hades."_

Fuck.

Hades shook his head, at the annoyance of the hairstylist currently trimming his sides. "Sorry." He grumbled.

It was all starting to make so much sense. Little hesitations in their first _encounter_ on the kitchen counter. The way her fingers trembled on his chest as she undid his shirt. He was used to those hesitations. Used to the fear behind them. Every sexual encounter he had, his partner always had reservations. A slight sense of dread of undressing with the king of the underworld. The gasps at his scars. The unsure glances. The fee upfront. No one wanted Hades. Not really.

"Hades." A gorgon with a headpiece popped in the doorway. "They're ready for you."

Hades stood up and the nymphs backed away. As good as it was gonna get. He checked himself in the mirror one more time, then followed the gorgon into the hallway.

A hand slide into his. "Hey." Persephone beamed up at him, easy going in her affection. She squeezed his hand. "You look nice. I like the hair."

Hades face softened, a spell no make up artist could do.

She pulled on his jacket. "Didn't change your clothes, huh? Lucky." She twisted the hem of her skirt. A polished A-line with lace dress now draped across her body. "It's supposed make me look more sophisticated." Hades gifted coat still wrapped around her shoulders.

"You look lovely." Hades squeaked out. He wanted to say more but was conscious of the plethora of people in the back hallways.

"Alright." The gorgon with the headpiece turned around to them. "Your speech is on the teleprompter. They'll be no QA following. We'll have a car ready for you afterwards. Ready?"

Hades nodded.

"Wait." Persephone held her hand up. She spun about and hugged Hades deeply, burying her face into the inside of his jacket.

All of Hades walls crumbled, and he couldn't help himself but comfort her back. She held his hand softly.

" _I'm ready." Persephone nodded and bit her lip. Her eyes big and full of some emotion, nervous anticipation. She pulled down her white panties. They fell to the kitchen floor. Her legs wrapped around Hades waist once more pulling him in. He bent over her and kissed her exposed breast, pushed up over her dress that hung loosely around her waist. With a free hand he pushed his pants down, and felt her breath catch. "Woah." She whispered. Pausing, he eyed her with concern. She gulped then stared back up at him._

" _Is everything alright?" Hades cocked his head to the side._

" _Ahuh." Persephone nodded. Curiously, she reached out her fingertips and glided them along his length. Her pupils growing wider. Hades growing firmer. "Huh."_

" _Persephone?" Hades blinked. "Do you want to slow down?"_

" _No." Persephone answered hurriedly. Her grip tightened around his shaft. "No."_

" _Are you sure?"_

 _She nodded. "It's just that, you're really big." She winced as she said it._

 _Before Hades could find his tongue and figure out how to respond to that, Persephone pulled his face on top of hers and gasped into his open lips, still in a daze. Quickly, he snapped out out of it and his body began to take control again, rolling over Persephone. She guided his tip to her eager wetness. As he moved across her aching zone, Persephone held her breath. Her fingers tightened along counter edge and her legs tensed, anticipating the first thrust._

 _Hades gently kissed her collar bone as he aligned himself. "I won't hurt you." He promised into her soft skin. His lips still on her chest, he felt her lungs expand in a wild gasp as he dipped inside her. His breath hitched too. She was so warm. And so tight. He thrusted again and Persephone's mouth fell into an open 'o' shape. He thrusted again and felt her open up a little more. Her hands, once fists, now curled around her chest. Her legs fell open on the counter top._

" _Are you alright?" He asked kindly._

" _Don't." She panted. She blinked up at him with an odd bewildered expression. "Don't stop."_

Hades realized those hesitations weren't because she was nervous to have sex _with him_. She hesitated because she had never done it before. Like anyone would be nervous for their first time. She wasn't anxious because of him. She wanted him and felt safe enough with him to let that be her first time.

Hades had been wanted before. For his power. For his money. For his family. He realized, he didn't know what it was like to be wanted for just himself. He had always assumed that for anyone to be with them, there had to be some other gain. Money, materials, fame. He never quite fathomed what it meant for someone to just want to be with him, full stop.

As the curtains were pulled back and lights began flashing, Persephone leaned her head against Hades' arm. "Together." She whispered.

And together they walked out on stage.

* * *

Minthe huffed into the apartment, slamming the red eviction notice tapped on her door on the coffee table. "Pick up you lousy piece of shit." She dialed Hades again. "Fuck fuck fuck." Minthe timbered back into the couch. "Fuck Hades." She pulled a pillow across her face and screamed into it. "No, no, no." Minthe tried to get a hold of herself. "It's fine." She nodded. "This is what we wanted. We wanted some space. He was getting to close." She stared at her reflection in the black TV screen. "So we pushed him away." Her eyes perked up. "Hades is a pendulum. Push him away, he comes right back." She stared at herself a moment then rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. A re-run of "Cocytus Shore" played. Amidst the back talking and name calling the show got interrupted. The news channel theme song played. "Ugh." Minthe was about to change the channel.

"We interrupt this television programing with breaking news from Olympus." A goron in a red suit jacket announced into a mic. "During a press release, Hades, king of the dead, became engaged to be married. We bring you live to the scene."

"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

* * *

 **AN: Thank you for reading! Do you want more?**

 **xoxo Goldie**


	6. Nosy Neighbors 3

**Nosy Neighbors**

 **3**

* * *

Minthe knocked over a bowl of receipts and clothing tags on her way to grab up the remote. Thank the gods, Hades hadn't turned off her TiVo yet. She couldn't press the rewind button fast enough. What the fuck was happening? Hades was supposed to be getting engaged to her. The lines on the tv waved as it speed in reverse. No, not engaged to her. He was supposed to be pining for her. He was supposed to be pushed away. Pushed. . . - Minthe crawled closer to the TV. Her big blue idiot moving oddly-Twitches across the screen. Pushed away. Did she push too far. Push. . . Towards _her_? A pink blur. A round baby face in the coat Hades wouldn't let her have. _That ring in his pocket. . ._ Minthe sat back on the floor, her head resting on the coffee table.

 _Play_

Hera paced behind the camera. Rage swelling up under her skin. She kept checking her reflection in her compact to make sure her eyes weren't popping out of their sockets. How dare he? Hades was supposed to be the reasonable one. The responsible one. The only man in the room that could keep it in his fucking pants. She puffed on a cigar. She looked at the camera. Hades was lucky these cameras were rolling. Once they turned off, Hera would officially be ending her friendship with him. They'd been drifting apart for years now. This was the last and biggest disappointment. Her husband fucked things up all the time. But she held Hades to a higher standard. He was supposed to be better. He had a lot further down to fall.

The red light blinked. The reporters in the audience buzzed. Hera turned around to see Hades ushered through the dark curtain. That fucking bastard.

Then Persephone stepped through, wrapped around his arm. Hades pulled out a chair for her. His eyes never left her face as she sat down and he took his place beside her. Persephone smiled sadly up at him. She never let go of his arm.

The fire in Hera's cigar went cold.

Hades cleared his throat and adjusted the mic on the table. "I'm supposed to say thank you for coming." He started dryly. "I'm also supposed to be honest and candid with you all." He adjusted the ruby cufflinks on his sleeves. "So if I have to pick between the two, I'll be honest and say I wish we didn't have to do this." He grumbled. "You," He looked into the camera, then at all the reporters. "You had no right to be on my property. You had no right to invade my or my guest's privacy." His skin started to darken and venom slipped into his speech. "So now you think I owe you the truth?" His eyes glowed red as fresh spilling blood.

Persephone placed her palm on the side of Hades face. Her thumb sweeping over the tensed angered eyebrow. She whispered something in his ear and Hades' candor changed. He held Persephone's hand and looked down at her with baleful eyes.

"You came to hear the truth." Hades spoke, but he only looked down at Persephone's direction. "But I know that no matter what I say, it will never be good enough for you. You want to know what happened to Persephone while she was in my care? Then she'll tell you herself. She doesn't need an old man to tell her story." He gestured to the mic. Hades and Persephone shared glances.

"But the script?" Persephone blinked, looking at the teleprompter. The nymph running it looked panicked.

"The only script is the truth. So tell tell it." Hades shrugged and smiled reassuringly. He squeezed her hand for comfort.

"It's true." Persephone turned to the crowd.

"What?" Someone yelled in the back.

"Oh. Sorry." Persephone readjusted the mic-stand for her height. "Ahem. Like I said it's true." She pulled on an authoritative voice that surprised even herself. "I was tricked into Hades' house. But not by Hades." She said hurriedly, sensing their fingers flashing on their tablets and notepads. They all came here with a preconceived idea of what happened. Her job was to redirect them. "I was a pawn in someone else's game of jealousy. I could name names, but they know who they are and until I speak with them privately of this matter, I will not broadcast their identity publicly. So," Persephone fiddled with the diamond button on her coat. "So, no. I didn't willingly go to Hades'. That much is true. But while I was tricked into going, I stayed on my own volition." Persephone smirked quietly to herself. "I wanted to stay. I was a welcomed guest, and was welcome to leave any time, but I didn't want to." She looked up through her long eyelashes. "To be honest, nothing that happened while I was Hades' guests is any of your fucking business." Persephone said matt'ofactly. "But just to be clear, that photo going around?" She leaned up on the mic. Her lips so close she could feel the static. "I was having a good time." She darted her eyes up at Hades. "A _very_ good time."

The crowd rustled. Chuckles and load murmurs echoed in the live studio. Hades' blushed, embarrassed, but his lips curled up. He looked down at Persephone with his eyebrows raised as if to say, " _Did you really have to say that?"_

She shrugged back. " _And what about it?"_

Hades grabbed the mic. "That'll be all." He began to stand up and held his hand out for Persephone to do the same.

" _Have you told your mother?" - "Persephone, what about your scholarship?" - "Hades did you know she is only nineteen?" - "Persephone, will you move back to the mortal realm now?"_

"We're not taking questions at this time." Hades grumbled trying to shield her from the crowd that had all gotten up off their chairs once they realized Hades and Persephone were done talking.

" _Persephone, what happens now?"_

Hades pulled her towards the gap in the curtain to escape, but she stood still. For the first time since coming out behind the curtain, Hades and Persephone lost contact. He watched as she slowly turned back to the mic.

"I don't know what happens now." She said honestly. "I only know that I'm done pretending to be something I'm not. I'm done living out someone else's version of me. I know I can't go back. My life won't ever be the same again. And I don't want it to."

" _Hestia has revoked her scholarship. She's not allowed back to live with Artemis." - "Persephone, how does it feel going from a prude to a slut?"_

Before Persephone could really process that extremely offensive question, Hera stepped out from the shadows and grabbed the mic from Persephone. "Alright here, you little fuckers. Did you really just call The Goddess of Spring, the daughter of Demeter, member of the six traitors, founding mother of the world as you know it, a fucking slut?" Hera's eyes glowed with the intensity of molten lava. "This Goddess is nineteen years old and has been handling all of your bullshit with more grace than any of you deserve. No matter what a women does, it is NEVER enough for you. Either she's a prude or a slut. Really? Are you fucking kidding me?" Hera drew in a deep breath and stared down the audience while she lit another cigar.

" _He's ruined her reputation!"_

Hades tensed. Deep down he knew it to be true. Her association with him, in any regards, would stain her. The people feared Hades. The people didn't speak his name. He was untouchable and that's the way he liked things. But not her. Persephone shuffled her feet. No. Persephone was kind and soft, and happy.

Hades, his kingdom, was cold, not because its ruler was cold, but because the world turned its back on it. When the world turned its back on her, would Persephone grow cold?

 _Homeless._ She said.

He had to get her out of here. The longer they stayed the more dirt would be flung and the deeper the grave they dug. He dipped his hands into his pocket, but before he remembered that he didn't drive and his keys were still hanging up next to the dog leashes back home, his fingers found something else.

Persephone took back the mic from Hera. "I have no reputation. Who even knew my name before it was plastered in headlines? Hades didn't ruin anything. You did. All of you. If not for you I would still be enjoying my evening, playing with dogs and making cookies in Hades' kitchen. Hades isn't a cold hearted monster. You all just like to perceive it that way. So no matter what we say. No matter if we defend ourselves or not, you're only going to believe what you want to. Believe he's a monster. Believe I'm a monster's whore. So be it. But leave us alone."

Hades made eye contact with Hera. Hera nodded, a grin on her cheeks.

Persephone continued on. "Hades makes me happy and I don't care what that looks like. I don't care what that makes me!"

"A Queen." Hades said softly behind her.

"What?" Persephone turned around. Hades bent one knee to the ground. Their eyes met at the same level. He pulled the velvet box out of his pocket.

"Persephone." Hades started, his voice just above a whisper. "You don't know what tomorrow brings. This new life of yours, was born from a storm. I can't foresee the future, but I can offer you a sacred promise. That you don't have to face it alone." He opened the box.

Persephone tilted her head. "Um." She steepled her fingers. "There's nothing there."

"No there's not." Hades blushed. "There was a ring in there. But it wasn't good enough for you. I didn't feel right offering a symbol of my. . . of my love, with something not reflective of it. I have too high of standards. If you accept me. If you accept my proposal, I promise to give you a ring worthy of you. Worthy of my heart."

"Oh Hades." Persephone stepped forward.

"Marry me." Hades breathed. "Live with me. Stay with me. Be my Queen. My wife. My heart. I'll be your husband. I'll be your heart. That is." He paused. "If you want me."

"If I want you?" Persephone bit her lip. "Was I not clear earlier? You're so uncertain." Persephone ruthfully smirked. She clasped her hands on both sides of Hades' face. "What do I need to do to make you understand," She kissed his forehead softly. "That you're everything I want?"

"Say yes." Hades begged.

"Are you sure about this?" Persephone paused. Genuinely curious. "This is a huge decision." She sat on his bent leg. "Isn't this a bit sudden?"

"Do you want to slow down?" Hades raised his eyebrow.

"Yes." Persephone said resolutely.

"Yes, you want to slow down?"

"Oh. No." She blinked, seeing the confusion. "I-I meant. I'm ready." She grabbed Hades hand in hers. "Yes. I'll marry you."

Hades pulled her into a hug. They stayed there like that on the stage. Both sitting on the ground, not caring at all about the others around them. It was just the two of them in the whole universe again.

"I won't hurt you." He whispered into her ear.

"I love you." She whispered back.

"I love you more." Hades kissed her.

"I wish we could stay like this forever." Persephone sighed resting her cheek against his.

"We can." Hades played with her hair. "We will." He promised.

"Let's go home." Persephone grinned up at him. Hades wrapped her up in his arms and took her off stage. Home was with Hades now. "Speaking of home." Persephone played with his tie. "I was thinking about doing some redecorating."

"Already?" Hades balked.

"Yeah. I'm thinking we should install curtains on the kitchen windows." Persephone bit her lip seductively and winked up at him.

* * *

 **AN: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it!**

 **xoxo - Goldie**


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